It appears Electronic Arts' college football franchise has recovered from last year's on-field stumbles.

The latest installment, NCAA Football 14, represents a major upgrade from its predecessor, delivering a more realistic game of football while maintaining its depth.

NCAA Football has always had an inconsistent run on this generation of home video game consoles. After several rough seasons, the franchise finally seemed to turn it around with 2010's NCAA Football 11 and the follow-up in 2011. However, last year's title failed to introduce major changes and neglected to address bugs leading to player frustration and accidental comedy (such as replays starring only the football and invisible players).

NCAA Football 14 fixes most of this with an overhaul of action on the gridiron, modeled in part by EA's pro football equivalent, Madden NFL. It starts with simple gestures, such as watching ballcarriers naturally shift directions trying to elude defenders with simple moves of the left thumbstick. When a ballcarrier trips, he'll fight to regain balance or lunge forward for the extra yard or two.

The intelligence of computer-controlled team on both sides of the ball has improved, too. Throw in double coverage and the secondary will make players pay through turnovers. Offenses will try to keep players off balance by running without huddles, or smartly mixing up play calls.

The most exciting change is the use of option offenses, which now seem easier to execute. When running a Read Option, Spread Option or other variation, players will see an icon that shows whether the defender is gunning for the quarterback or running back. Even when a player makes the right choice, they must still nail down timing to gain the most benefit.

A scene from 'NCAA Football 14.'(Photo: Electronic Arts)

Although NCAA Football 14 is far more entertaining than last year's game, it still needs some work. Offensive players seem to bounce off tackles a bit too much, even when a defender delivers a clear, hard shot. Players also don't adjust their routes when a play breaks down, so leading a receiver downfield on a pass is difficult. Tackles involving multiple players look off at times. For example, an animation showing a player falling back can get interrupted and unnaturely altered by another defender coming in for a tackle.

NCAA Football 14 boasts several key changes to Dynasty Mode, which allows players to have full control of one football program, from recruiting to playcalling. Head coaches and coordinators each have skill trees with strengths players can choose to unlock, such as performance improvements during road games or player stamina bonuses.

Recruiting has been simplified, shifting to a straightforward points system. Each week of the season, players have 5,000 points to spend on potential recruits. The more points players spend on an individual recruit, the harder the program works to sign that recruit. For players that don't like to spend too much time on the recruiting process, it's an easier way to stay involved.

EA Sports' Ben Haumiller talks about the upgrades available in the new NCAA Football '14. The highly anticipated game releases July 9.
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Along with the standard set of game modes, including the one-year Season mode and player-focused Road to Glory, NCAA Football 14 adds Ultimate Team, a card-based teambuilding option featuring 1,400 college football greats. Players start off with a pack of cards starring former college stars, and build their team by playing games and earning more card packs.

NCAA Football 14 still requires some work before players can consider it among the elite sports titles, but this season marks a strong step in the right direction.